Brandon Marshall has remained mostly quiet since the end of the 2009 season, preferring to let his football future play out in private, with him behind the scenes.
Now that Marshall got what he wanted — out of Denver and a monster new contract — he has at last opened up.
“You would love to secure your family. But I play because I want to have my name in the books and win lot of games,” Marshall told reporters in Florida.
Marshall was traded away from his contentious situation in Denver on Wednesday morning in exchange for two second-round draft picks, one each in 2010 and 2011. He also He signed a contract extension worth $47.5 million, with $24 million guaranteed, so he was understandably upbeat when he met with a group of South Florida reporters Thursday afternoon.
“My teammates, I love them,” Marshall said of the Broncos. “Those guys are great to me and I will truly miss them.”
Marshall, who got married two weeks ago in Denver, already owns a home in Orlando, the city where he went to both high school and college (at the University of Central Florida) and has family living in the central Florida area.
Marshall also is joining a team with a young, up-and-coming quarterback in Chad Henne and one of the league’s best running games with the duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. He told reporters he plans to meet with Henne soon to begin building a relationship with his quarterback.
He immediately assumes the role of the Dolphins’ No. 1 wide receiver, filling the biggest void on Miami’s roster.
Marshall chose to not to speak much about his time in Denver, and especially about the way his four-year tenure here ended. He did say that he and Broncos coach Josh McDaniels “got along great.”
Lindsay Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
